Heuchera plant named &#39;Electric Plum&#39;

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct hybrid of  Heuchera  plant named ‘Electric Plum’ with cordate, dark, blackish-purple, shallowly dissected foliage in early spring developing into plum-purple blush with contrasting blackish purple surrounding the veins. The new plant is adorned with blackish purple panicles beginning in early summer with bright fuchsia-pink flowers beginning early summer for about seven weeks with repeat panicles.

Botanical denomination: Heuchera hybrid.

Variety denomination: ‘Electric Plum’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of CoralBells in the Saxifragaceae family and given the cultivar name of‘Electric Plum’. Heuchera ‘Electric Plum’ was hybridized by the inventoron Apr. 13, 2013 at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich.,USA. The seed or female parent was a proprietary unreleased hybrid knownonly by the breeder code 12-29-01 (not patented) and the pollen or maleparent was Heuchera ‘Georgia Plum’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,507. Thefemale parent consists of genes from ‘Mocha Mint’ (not patented),‘Blackberry Ice U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,788 and ‘Milan’ U.S. Plant Pat.No. 21,682.

The new invention has a mixture of Heuchera americana, H. brizoides, H.micrantha, sanguinea and H. villosa in the pedigree.

Heuchera ‘Electric Plum’ was initially evaluated in the fall of 2013 andpassed final evaluation in the fall of 2014 when it was assigned thebreeder code 13-715-1 from among thousands of other seedlings from thesame cross and hundreds of other crosses. Heuchera ‘Electric Plum’ hasbeen asexually propagated by division at the same nursery in Zeeland,Mich. in 2014 and by careful sterile shoot tip tissue culturepropagation, and the resultant plants have remained stable and continuedto exhibit the same characteristics as the original plant for multiplegenerations.

No plants of Heuchera ‘Electric Plum’ have been sold or disclosed bythis or any other name, in this country or anywhere in the world, priorto one year from the filing of this application, with the exception ofthat which was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In comparison to the ancestor cultivars on the female side, Heuchera‘Electric Plum’ has more shallowly lobed leaves with purple base ratherthan the reddish base with heavy silver overlay between the veins of‘Milan’. The new plant has similar shallow lobed foliage as ‘Mocha Mint’but has more plum coloration without the silver overlay. Compared to‘Blackberry Ice’ the new plant has more purple in the foliage and theflowers are fuchsia pink rather than creamy white. Compared with ‘PlumRoyale’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,935, the new plant has bright fuchsiapink flowers rather than cream-colored flowers, wider dark blackishpurple surrounding the veins and lighter plum between the veins.Compared to ‘Georgia Plum’ the new plant has more rounded lobe apicesand without the silvering between the veins.

Heuchera ‘Electric Plum’ differs from its parents as well as all othercoral bells known to the applicant in the following combined traits:

-   -   1. The foliage color is dark blackish-purple early in the        spring.    -   2. Foliage develops a plum-purple blush with contrasting dark        blackish-purple surrounding the veins.    -   3. Adorned with small, bright, fuchsia-pink flowers on blackish        purple panicles beginning early summer.    -   4. Leaves are cordate with shallowly dissected rounded apices        and lobes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance ofthe plant including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate asreasonably possible with color reproductions. Some slight variation ofcolor may occur as a result of lighting quality, intensity, wavelength,and direction or reflection.

FIG. 1 shows a two-year-old plant in late spring with plum-purple blush.

FIG. 2 shows a two-year-old plant in a container in mid-seasonflowering.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following description is based on one and two-year-old plantsgrowing in a container in a lightly shaded greenhouse in Zeeland, Mich.,USA. The new plant has not been grown under all possible environmentsand may phenotypically appear different under different conditions suchas light, temperatures, fertilizer, and water, without any difference ingenotype. The color descriptions used are from the 2001 edition of TheRoyal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionaryterms are used.

-   Parentage: Female or seed parent was the proprietary unreleased    hybrid known only by the breeder code 12-29-01 (not patented) and    the pollen or male parent was ‘Georgia Plum’;-   Plant habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial with compact basal rosette    of foliage; mounded foliage about 15.0 cm tall and 35.0 cm in    diameter; with about 4 to 5 panicles per stem, to about 44.0 cm    long; stems to about 4.0 mm diameter at base, with one main stem and    about 3 developing stems per plant and about 100 leaves per plant;-   Roots: Fibrous, finely branched;-   Growth rate: Rapid, rooting from cutting in two weeks and finishing    in three-liter container in about 10 weeks;-   Foliage: Cordate, minutely puberulent adaxial and abaxial; palmately    shallowly lobed with five main lobes dissected less than one-quarter    the way to petiole; apex rounded to apiculate, base cordate to    auriculate with basal lobes slightly imbricate; margins crenate to    mucronate, ciliolate; lustrous abaxial and matte adaxial; held    nearly horizontal;-   Leaf blade size: To about 12.0 cm wide and about 12.5 cm long,    average about 10.0 cm wide and about 10.5 cm long;-   Leaf color: Spring and young emerging leaves adaxial nearest RHS    187B, spring and young emerging leaves abaxial between RHS 187C and    RHS 187B; mature mid-season leaves adaxial blend between RHS 71A and    RHS 187A with region surrounding veins of nearest RHS N186A, abaxial    mature mid-season leaves between RHS N186b and RHS N186C;-   Leaf quantity: Dense, about 80 per plant;-   Veins: Palmate, hirsutulous abaxial and adaxial; costate abaxial,    mostly applanate adaxial;-   Vein color: On emerging or early spring foliage adaxial nearest RHS    185B with emerging or early spring abaxial nearest RHS 71A;    mid-season and flowering time adaxial nearest RHS N186A, mid-season    and flowering time abaxial RHS N79B;-   Petiole: Terete, with amplexicaul base; to about 14.0 cm long and    about 4.0 mm diameter above stipule; stipule to about 10.0 mm across    and 5.0 mm wide; average about 12.0 cm long and 3.2 mm diameter;    with pubescent hairs to about 2.0 mm long;-   Petiole color: Emerging leaf blend nearest RHS 71A; mature leaf near    base of petiole nearest RHS 186A with stipples of nearest RHS 187B;-   Peduncle: Panicle; terete; stiff; puberulent; mostly upright; to    about 44.0 cm long and about 4.0 mm diameter at base, average about    38.0 cm tall and about 3.5 mm diameter; about thirteen per plant    with up to 135 flowers per panicle, average about 100; branched    panicle with up to 14 branches up to 4.5 cm long and 1.0 mm diameter    decreasing distally, average 12 branches per panicle; shorter    branches outwardly, longer branches drooping distally;-   Flowering longevity: Panicle effective for about three weeks;    repeating for about seven weeks;-   Peduncle color: Young developing nearest RHS 187B, mature blend    between RHS 187A and RHS N186B;-   Pedicel: Terete, finely puberulent, average about 3.0 mm long and    0.5 mm diameter;-   Pedicel color: Between RHS N186A and RHS 187A;-   Buds one day prior to opening: Ellipsoid; rounded apex and attenuate    base; puberulent to glandular; about 7.0 mm long and 3.5 mm    diameter;-   Bud color one day prior to opening: Basal one-half portion nearest    RHS 60C, distal one-half between RHS 63B and RHS 63C with apex    nearest RHS 61A;-   Flower: Perfect, campanulate, actinomorphic, about 9.0 mm long to    end of stigma and 4.5 mm in diameter at face; individual flowers    lasting about 4 days on plant; three weeks for whole inflorescence    and nine weeks with repeat panicles;-   Flower attitude: Outward to slightly drooping;-   Calyx: Five, apex rounded; fused in proximal 4.0 mm to form    hypanthium; pubescent to glandular abaxial, glabrous adaxial; about    7.0 mm long and 4.5 mm wide;-   Calyx color: Abaxial base between RHS 59A and RHS 61A, with a    longitudinal center nearest RHS 71B and distally lightening to    between RHS 64B and RHS 64C; adaxial base nearest RHS 64C with    longitudinal middle portion nearest RHS 65D and apex nearest RHS    61A;-   Petals: Five, oblanceolate to spatulate, acute apex and attenuate    base, entire, glabrous abaxial and adaxial, about 3.5 mm long and    1.0 mm wide in middle;-   Petal color: Abaxial and adaxial base lighter than RHS N155D;    abaxial apex between RHS 64B and RHS 64C, abaxial apex between RHS    64D and R.H.S.;-   Androecium: Five adnate to adaxial sepal about 1.0 mm above base;    -   -   Filaments.—Five, thin, glabrous; about 2.5 mm long and less            than 0.3 mm diameter; color white, lighter than RHS 155D.        -   Anthers.—Ellipsoidal with acute apex; distinct, basifixed,            longitudinal; about 0.7 mm long and 0.5 mm across; color            nearest RHS 167C.        -   Pollen.—Rare to absent.-   Gynoecium: One, two-beaked; half-inferior; bifid style with pistil    split at ovary; 7.0 mm long;    -   -   Style.—Bifid; split apart at apex of ovary; about 5.0 mm            long and about 1.0 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 155D.        -   Stigma.—Rounded apex, about 0.5 mm diameter; color nearest            RHS 60D.        -   Ovary.—Half-inferior, about 2.0 mm long and 1.5 mm diameter;            ellipsoidal to globose, base rounded; color nearest RHS            145D.-   Fruit and seed have not yet been observed:-   Disease and pest tolerance: The new plant grows best with ample    moisture and drainage in either part sun or part shade. Cold hardy    from USDA zones 4 to 9. Other resistance and tolerance outside of    that normal for coral bells has not been observed.

It is claimed:
 1. The new and distinct coral bells plant named Heuchera‘Electric Plum’ as herein described and illustrated.